Chicago Cubs: 5 bold moves to turn the team into World Series contenders

What if I told you that the Chicago Cubs would have a chance to be really good in 2022 by making just five moves? You’d probably think I was crazy, but it’s true. And, to be honest, it’s a completely plausible if tremendously bold set of moves that would mostly just cost the Ricketts family some money. But hey, they need to spend some money to make some money and put fans back in the seats, right? And it’s not like we have a lot invested in the 2022 roster currently anyhow.

If the Cubs want to spend in the right places, they could contend in 2022.

If Ricketts and Jed Hoyer truly want a reload after the trade deadline massacre sold off everything we thought had a ton of value (both real and sentimental), there’s a very serious and very methodical way to go about doing it, and they could set themselves up for continued success with the haul of young prospects they got this summer coupled with the ones they already had on the way in three years or so.

One of the biggest unknowns currently is what is going to happen with the CBA during the offseason and how that will affect the team’s roster. What does that mean in English, you ask? It means that depending on the direction the league and players go with regards to the universal DH, it could make going after several key pieces either realistic or not so much.

For the sake of our bold little experiment here, I’ll assume that the DH will be part of the 2022 package that gets the players back on the field with a new CBA, meaning the Cubs will need a regular ninth hitter. This will be a good thing for the Cubs and my plan. Read on to see how bold this gets:

Chicago Cubs: Could Kyle Schwarber come back into the fold?

Look, the Cubs are not going to bring back all the guys they traded away – it’s just not going to happen. However, there is a chance they could sign back a guy, and maybe that guy isn’t even someone who played for them this past year. Maybe it’s a guy like, say, Kyle Schwarber.

Jettisoned in a cost-cutting move last offseason that now looks really, really stupid in retrospect, Schwarber went out and did what we thought he was always capable of in 2021. We knew this would happen as soon as the Cubs let him go. Now, he’s gonna get paid; hopefully by the Cubs.

And, here’s where this isn’t just a reclamation of what was once theirs. If we chuck the 2020 season that wasn’t even really a season due to the pandemic (and let’s face it, a ton of really good hitters had crappy years, so it’s not a futile exercise or convenient measure), Schwarber has seen his OPS steadily increase through his prime from .823 in 2018 to .871 in 2019 to .928 this season. Even if there’s no increase or a slight decrease from that number, a .900 OPS is All-Star level slugging and on-base skill.

In the midst of his prime at 28 years old, Schwarber has upped his on-base game since joining the Red Sox via trade this summer, posting a ridiculous .435 OBP and even more impressively has walked 33 times to just 39 strikeouts in Beantown. With a proposed DH a possibility in the NL in 2022, this would also give the Cubs flexibility to play Schwarber in left field or DH him in certain games or against certain matchups. Oh, and by the way, it would also still allow for the Cubs’ number one prospect, Brennen Davis, to play out there or DH once he’s ready to play full time in 2022 or 2023. Schwarber may not be part of the Bryzzo tandem or Javy Baez, but plenty of fans would love to see the World Series hero back in the Windy City. Speaking of…

Chicago Cubs: Nick Castellanos hits OK at Wrigley Field, right?

OK, OK, so I sort of tricked you again here. No it’s not Rizzo or Bryant (who were actually eclipsed in production by Frank Schwindel and Patrick Wisdom in the second half), but it’s another guy who can hit and is right in the prime of his career. Nick Castellanos is also a guy who loves hitting at Wrigley; he has hit ridiculously well there and loves playing in Chicago to boot. Oh, and all he’s done this year is basically put up MVP-type numbers for the Reds.

The 29-year-old Castellanos is another guy who could benefit from that proposed DH, allowing leery NL teams to sign him to play some outfield and some DH, perhaps even adding on to the number of years they’d be willing to extend to him with the DH option available. Castellanos is not a good fielder, but he’s definitely a good hitter, and between him and Schwarber would make a fearsome 3-4 punch in the middle of the lineup as right-handed and left-handed power guys.

Castellanos is still under contract with Cincinnati, but he has an opt-out this offseason, and with his big 2021 numbers, is almost  guaranteed to test the free agent waters to better his remaining  three years and $52 million left on the contract. One would think it’s reasonable that Castellanos could add $20-30 million onto those three remaining years and even be able to extend the deal another year or two.

All the Cubs have to do is make a play, and he could be coming back to a place where he loves to hit (.364/.401/.727 with 22 doubles and 12 bombs in 40 career games at Wrigley) for 82 games a year.

Chicago Cubs: On a short deal, Max Scherzer could make a lot of sense

While it wouldn’t be quite the same in terms of the number of years or as the kind of harbinger the signing of Jon Lester was in late 2014, going after and ultimately signing Max Scherzer would be a coup for the Cubs and show other free agents and the league that this was, indeed, a retool for 2022.

Still at the top of his game as evidenced by his elite performance since heading to the west coast, Scherzer is the kind of guy who probably has two more good years left in the tank, even though his age would give an organization pause with just about anyone else. At 37 years old, most pitchers have long since retired, but Scherzer is a rare breed and Mad Max is the kind of bulldog you wand anchoring your staff. With Scherzer and Kyle Hendricks at the top, that would be a formidable opening to any possible postseason series they’d play next fall.

Can I selfishly say that I’m hoping Scherzer struggles just a tad this fall so that maybe it’ll scare off a few teams who may not want to bid on an old pitcher? Just enough so we don’t have to pay through the roof at least?  Scherzer is going to cost some money, but it’s doubtful at his age that he can command anything close to the $35 million plus he’s been making the last couple years. If the Cubs could slice that number anywhere closer to the low $20 million range, I wouldn’t be opposed to a two-year deal for a guy who can still bring it.

Chicago Cubs: We need a lefty in the rotation… so how about Robbie Ray?

There aren’t too many options out there if the Cubs want to get an impact starter this offseason, and even fewer if they want to add a southpaw to their heavy right-handed mix. Sure, Justin Steele may be able to provide a left-handed option who can start, but that’s not a given considering he’s started just nine times at the big league level.

Enter free agent Robbie Ray, 2021 AL Cy Young contender for the Toronto Blue Jays. Sure, there were some bumps at the end of the season, but we already know he pitches well in blue and white. Ray won’t be cheap, but adding any impact starter in their prime is going to cost you some dough. The left-hander finished the year 13-7 with a 2.84 ERA, 248 strikeouts in 193 1/3 innings pitched, and a WHIP of 1.04. Plus, he did all that while already pitching in a league that featured a DH and in a division that had some of the toughest lineups in baseball.

If the Cubs are serious about fielding a contending team in 2021, there’s no way around the fact that they need two impact starting pitchers; heck, David Ross even said it publicly. Adding the 30-year-old Ray would give the Cubs another guy to pair with Hendricks to anchor the rotation for years to come. Adding him along with Scherzer in free agency would signal to the club, fans, and rest of the league that the Cubs are for real about smashing back through that window of contention with a new group of players.

Chicago Cubs: An intriguing lineup for sure

Starting Lineup:

• Madrigal- high OBP guy to set the table, very little pop, but don’t need it
• Ramirez- best hitter in the lineup setting the table and mopping things up early
• Castellanos- second-best hitter in the lineup serving as protection for Ramirez
• Schwarber- if he can continue his strong OBP showing with the slug, look out
• Contreras- let’s hope this guy is back and healthy all year long
• Happ- can we secretly turn Happ’s calendar to August or September in spring training?
• Schwindel- Is this guy for real? If he’s not expected to hit third, it might ease the pressure
• Wisdom- how about a guy with this kind of power hitting down here?
• Hoerner- depending on how things go, you may be able to flip-flop him and Madrigal

Bench:

• Duffy
• Alcantara
• Bote
• Heyward
• Ortega
• Backup Catcher

Is it a big swing? Yep. But it goes to show the main thing standing in the way of this team contending again soon is ownership. If Ricketts spends, anything is possible this offseason.